Emotions Run High at Sail Racing PalmaVela 2018 for Melges 40s

(5 May 2018 / Palma de Mallorca, Spain) - The first 2018 Melges 40 Grand Prix event, currently underway at Sail Racing PalmaVela hosted by Real Club Nautico de Palma continues to bring not just a wide range of emotions, but also a swing in conditions and circumstances pushing teams to fight for victory. Three more races were completed leaving two final heats for Sunday.

After Zavadnikov won Race Seven, Goransson came right back to win Race Eight, taking home his third bullet of the event, reclaiming the lead for a third consecutive day.

It was moving day for Japan’s Yukihiro Ishida (Manu Weiller, tactician) aboard SIKON. He moved up from fourth to second overall, now only two points behind Goransson.

“We had a few wasted opportunities today, but we are very close to the top and we plan lay it all on the line tomorrow,” says Manu Weiller, tactician aboard SIKON. “The crew is working very hard, and as we’ve seen in the last days, attention to the smallest details make the difference. Racing the Melges 40 is a very special feeling, a whole new game — so different from everything else, super rewarding and really fun for sailors.”

At the end of the day, Zavadnikov occupies third place, just two steps ahead of Alessandro Rombelli’s STIG (Francesco Bruni, tactician) who for sure is planning to strike back and land on the podium in Palma. Rounding out the field of competitors is Andrea Lacorte’s VITAMINA CELADRIN (Branko Brcin, tactician). He is clearly gaining momentum with each race as he on the hunt for his first bullet of the 2018 Grand Prix season.

“Our first task is to learn more, each and every day about what is key to sailing this wonderful boat. We’ve all seen what it is capable of, and today, we showed that the Melges 40 is much faster than the TP52 as we were racing on the same course… it was incredible!” said Lacorte.

“As a team, we still have a long way to go to fill the gap that divides us from those ahead of us. They have had more time in the boat, more data and experience. Our goal is to win a race, and I am convinced that this will happen very soon — we hope tomorrow!

With only one day left to go, the final races, number nine and ten will ultimately decide the first Melges 40 Grand Prix Champion of the 2018 season.